O P Dhankar appointed president of BJP's Haryana unit

The BJP, in a statement, said party chief J P Nadda appointed Dhankar the Haryana unit head. The appointment is also seen as an attempt to balance the caste equations in the state, where politics revolves around Jats and non-Jats.

O P Dhankar, who was a cabinet minister in the BJP government in Haryana, was on Sunday appointed the president of the party's state unit. By appointing Dhankar, the BJP has continued with a Jat face, the most dominant caste in the state. The BJP, in a statement, said party chief J P Nadda appointed Dhankar the Haryana unit head.

The appointment is also seen as an attempt to balance the caste equations in the state, where politics revolves around Jats and non-Jats. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is also a non-Jat.

Dhankar will replace incumbent Subhash Barala, who was also a Jat. Both Dhankar and Barala had lost the Harayana Assembly elections held in October last year. Dhankar was a cabinet minister in the BJP government in Haryana.

The appointment has been delayed by more than eight months as it was expected that a new president would be appointed after the announcement of the state Assembly results. Dhankar has also been the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Kisan Morcha twice..